BQPA/PIONEERS

                  

       Barbershop Quartet Preservation Association

    Show Talent Chair

 
 Collaborate with Festival Chair to identify and invite a great MC for Parade
Draft an invitation for Saturday evening parade.  Note accurate location, date and time.
 Provide directions.
 Note (politely) that BQPA/Pioneers cannot offer expenses or fee.
 Request bio for intro.
 Confirm acceptance as early as possible.
 
Contact quartets.
 Assemble lists of quartets. (BHS,  HI,  SAI)
 Draft an invitation for Saturday evening parade (see template, below).
 Note accurate location, date and time.
 Provide directions.
 Note (politely) that BQPA/Pioneers cannot offer expenses or fee.
 Request bio for intro.
 Consider inviting headliner.
 Send invitation to listed quartets at least (2? 3?) months in advance of festival.
 What if too many respond positively?   Think about this possibility beforehand…
 Assemble parade schedule.
 Determine how many songs each quartet will present.
 Include quartet name, chapter affiliations, members’ names.
 Include Friday-night pick-up quartet champs as first performers.
 Decide order of quartets.
 Reserve last slot for headliners.
 Greet quartets and provide schedules, suggest warm-up rooms, etc.
 Greet MC and handle any pre-show introductions required.
 Provide parade schedule to MC for announcing quartets.
 Start Parade by introducing MC to audience with appropriate bio.

 Template for quartet invitations:

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, You are receiving this message because you are listed with (SPEBSQSA, HI, SAI) as the contact for your quartet. Your Barbershop Quartet is hereby cordially invited to perform on a good old fashioned Parade of Quartets show. The show is sponsored by the Barbershop Quartet Preservation Association and is open to any and all quartets. To sign up, simply reply to this message with the following information for our show MC: Name of Quartet Name of each singer and his or her voice part, and if you wish, any quartet history or biographical background you may want the MC to introduce you with.

When: Saturday at PM
Where: e.g.: Embassy Suites Tempe ballroom, 4400 S. Rural Road, Tempe, Arizona
Information: 1. The show will be limited to the first seven quartets to sign up and no more. These seven quartets will be notified as to their singing position as soon as possible.
2. Quartets that respond after the first seven will be placed on a standby list should there be any later quartet cancellations.
3. Each performing quartet will be given enough time to perform three songs.
4. The show order of appearance will be drawn by lot with the exception that a feature quartet (an eighth quartet) has been invited to close the show.
5. I shouldn't need to remind you, but here goes. This show will be a family show. There will be ladies and children in attendance. If you have material that you suspect may be inappropriate, it probably is. So don't! Sing the songs that your quartet would sing at your church's ice cream social with your pastor sitting in the front row.
6. You’ll get your best response if you Keep It Barbershop…
Additional information is available at http://www.bqpa.com/events.html.

 Talent Chair, BQPA/Pioneers